A new report issued by Technomic finds that spirits outpaced beer and wine in sales last year, with no signs of slowing down in 2013.

• Vodka continues to be one of the fastest growing categories, along with American whiskey and tequila not too far behind. With its 5.8% increase, vodka now commands roughly one-third of all spirits volume and is the largest category.
• The smallest category, Irish Whiskey, posted an incredible double-digit gain in sales of 21.6%.
• Diageo continues its lead as the largest spirit producer, seeing a 1.1% increase in volume to retain a 22% overall market share. Beam continues to hold strong in second place, with Sazerac doubling its market share with a 4.2% increase; jumping ahead of Bacardi and solidifying a third place position.

[Technomic]

In other spirits news, Pursuitist profiles The Patron Way, a new book detailing the rise of Patron to its position as one of the worlds most recognizable tequila brands. While brands such as Jose Cuervo might take exception with the headline’s tag that Patron currently “dominates” the market, the article does make for some engaging reading. [Pursuitist]

Memorial Day is coming up soon, and with it the kickoff of the summer travel season. Zagat profiles 8 must-see stops along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and its kindred spirit, the American Whiskey Trail. [Zagat]

Ontario (Canada) police are currently seeking the public’s help in identifying a man who recently “liberated” a bottle of 50 year old Glenfiddich, valued at $26,000. An Ottawa-based Scotch taster summed up things quite appropriately for the Toronto Sun: “It makes you wonder how it could have been stolen”. Oh, Canada! [Fox News]

And finally today in science news, with the uptick and demand for high quality scotch the problems of bootlegging and counterfeiting have also increased. Scottish scientists have devised a new way to check make sure products are actually the real deal, and not something potentially lethal. [Scotsman]

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